Soda-dispensing device



July* 2s, 1925.

T. E. DAUGHTON SODA DISPENSING DEVICE ruled Aug. 24. 1922 ashun-snm 1 July 2s, 192s. 1,547,414

T. E. DAUGHTON S ODA DISPENS ING DEVICE 31h/unta@ Patented July 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES THOMAS EARL DAUGHTON, OF DOOLEY, VIRGINIA.

sona-Dlsrnlvsne DEVICE.

Application filed August 24, 1922. serial No. 534,665.

To all whom it may conce/rn y Be it knovvnrthat I, THOMAS E. DAUGH- 'ron citizen of the United States, residing at ooley, in the county of lise and State of Virginia, have invented Acertain new and useful Improvements in Soda-Dispensing Devices, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in liquid dispensing devices, the primary object of the invention being to provide a device including an automatically operable valve and means for operating the saine arrangled so that when a receptacle is positione to receive liquid from the dispensing device, the valve will be `au tomatically opened nto permit 'the flow of liquid from thedevice Vinto the receptacle.

Another important object of the inven- V tion resides in the provision of a device of the above description and which includes means for simultaneously operating a pair of conduits so that the material Vtravelling through both conduits will be discharged simultaneously and from the same nozzle, this arrangement being found advantageous in dispensing carbonated water at soda fountains.

A` further object of the invention resides in'the provision of a button arranged directly under the dispensing nozzle for actuating valve means associated with the noz'zle when a receptacle is positioned upon the button to receive liquid from the nozzle. v

A still further object of the invention resides in they provision of a sim le and durf able valve operating means which is highly eliicient for the purposes designed in practice.

`Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description,

In the accompanying' drawings forming a part ot' the description and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a soda fountain equipped with the invention,

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the saine showing the application of the invent'ion,

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a modified form of valve chamber,

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of various parts of the valve operating mechanism, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the head of one of thel valves. Y

Referring more particularly to the drawings and wherein for the pur ose of illustration is shown the p'referre embodiment 'of the invention, the numeral 6 designates a support for glasses, receptacles and the like', and which in the present vinstance assumes the t'orin of a Asoda Water dispensing fountain. This support G is equipped with one or more vertical openings 7 in Which operates a part of a valve mechanism which will be presently described. For every opening in the su port a dispensing pipe or nozzle S is provi ed and in the present instance, the discharge end of each nozzle points downwardly towards the support 6 and is preferably arranged `vertically above its respective opening?. The end of the dispensing pipe or nozzle 8 which enters the fountain 1s connected to a vertical pipe 9, the lower end oi' which is connected through an VL-shaped valve casing 10 by means otra sleeve union 11. The end of the horizontal leg o1' the casing is connected to a pipe 12 which in turn 'leads from a source of supply 13.

The horizontal leg of the casing is provided with a. vertically disposed partition 14 which is equipned with a tapered opening l5 forming a valve seat therein. A valve stein 16 is slidably mounted in the horizontal leg of the valve casing 'and eX- te'nds through the opening in the partition 14 and also through a packing associated with the Wall of the vertical leg of the valve casing so that the outer end of the stem is disposed exteriorly ot' the valve casing. The inner end of the valve stem is provided Vvvith a valve head 17, the inner end of which is tapered to snugly lit its seat in the partition 14, While the outer end of the valve 'head is tapered into a point so that it offers as little resistance as possible to the liquid or air flowing through the valve casing to be dispensed at the nozzle 8.

A link 18 is pivotally connected'at one end to the outer end of the valve stem 16 as shown, and at its opposite end to a vertical arm 19 of a bell crank lever which is pivotally connected as at 2() to a bracket 21 depending from the support 6. The horizontal armQQ of the bell crank is pivotally connected at its free end to th'elower end lill of a stem depending from a receptacle platform 24 arranged in its openin 7 of the support 6. The stem 23 exten s through the bottom of a cup-shaped casing 25 which is arranged in each opening 7 in the support so that the upper end of the cupshaped casing is arranged flush with the upper surface of the support. The platform 24 secured to the upper end of the Stem has its lower portion normally disposed within the cup-shaped casing, while the upper surface or top of the platform is normally disposed thereabove by means of a coil spring 26 placed on the platform stem 23 within the casing so that one end of the spring abats the bottom of the casing 25 and its opposite end engages the bottom of the platform 24 to normally urge the same upwardlyT to the position hereinbefore mentioned.

The spring 26 is of a very light nature, the tension of which is such that the spring can be readily compressed by the weight of an ordinary soda Water glass positioned upon the platform 24. The connections between the platform and valve are also made very light so that the valve may be opened simply by the weight of a soda glass resting on the platform. As the valve mechanism and platform structure for each dispensing nozzle is the same, the description given for one will sullce for all.

The device hereinbefore described will serve for dispensing liquids under pressure flowing into the valve casing, but in order to dispense carbonated Water with as simple arrangement as possible, and with the valve mechanism employed herein, a valve casing 26 as shown in Fig. 3 is provided which is of L-shaped configuration as in Fig. 2 and the vertical leg of which is provided with a vertical partition 2T, thereby dividing the valve casing into a pair of separate and distinct chambers or compartments 28 and 29. The chamber 29 has its top closed as seen, and into this top is threaded the lower end of a gas pipe 30 which is smaller in diameter than the pipe E) and dispensing nozzle 8 and is therefore conveniently extended through pipe 9 and nozzle 8 as shown. The horizontal leg of the L-shaped valve casing 2G is also divided longitudinally by a vertical partition to separate the same into a pair of distinct conduits to Which are connected a. pair of distinct conduits or pipes 3l and 32. the latter in the present instance being connected to chamber 29 and adapted to pass gas such as used in carbonating water through the pipe 30. The other conduit or pipe 31 is adapted to pass Water into chamber 28. Each of the compartments 28 and 29 is provided with a vertical partition, in each of which is provided a valve seat, the same as that shown in Fig. 2 so that a separate valve may be used for controlling the entrance of a medium into the chambers 28 and 29. The stems of these valves are designated by the numeral 33 and each is pivot-ally connected to the link 18, which in turn is pivotaliy connected to the vertical arm 19 of a bell crank, as in the form of invention disclosed in Fig. 2. The rest of the valve operating mechanism is the same for this modilication as for the form of invention shown in Fig. 2 and from the description thus far, it will be seen that when-f ever a glass is positioned upon the platform" 24e, that the spring 26 will be compressed to swing the horizontal arm of the bell crank downwardly and the vert-ical arm 19 inwardly toward the valve casing to slide both valve stems inwardly thereby permitting both wat-er and gas to iiow into their respective chambers in the valve casing and thence through pipes 9 and 30 to be combined adjacent the dispensing nozzle 8 to make carbonated water discharge from the nozzle into the receptacle resting on the platform.

In order that two different kinds of liquids may be dispensed from the same nozzle c and separate from each other, the same valve arrangement as shown in Fig. 3 may be employed, but instead of having the link 18 control both valve stems 33, a separate link and lever connection as sho-wn in Figure 1 is made between each valve stem 33 and each operating button. A button `24 may be used for controlling one of the valves while a second button 25 elongated in configuration will be employed for operating the other valve so that a receptacle or glass can be placed upon either of the buttons 24 or 25 so that either one of two kinds of liquids can be dispensed separately.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings have reference to what might be considered the approved or preferred form ol my invention. l desire it to be understood that 1 may make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what l claim is 1. ln a liquid dispensing apparatus, a dispensing conduit including a valve casin having a vertical partition therein equipp with a valve seat, a horizontally movable valve associated with the seat and having rts end projecting exteriorly of the valve casing, a link pivotally connected to the outer end of the valve stem, a bell crank having a vertical arm pivotally connected to the outer end of the valve stem, and a depressible platform having pivotal connection with the arm of the bell crank normally arranged in a horizontal plane.

2. In a liquid dispensing apparatus comprising a dispensing conduit including a. valve seat, a dispensing spoutI7 a support arranged below the saine and having an opening therein directly below the spout, a bracket depending from the support, a bell crank lever pivotally connected to said support, a vertically movable receptacle platform pivotally connected to one arm of the bell crank and mounted in said opening, a link pivoted to the other arm oi' the bell crank, a valve stern pivotally connected to said link and being slidably mounted in said dispensing `conduit and having a valve head for cooperation with said valve seat.

3. A liquid dispensing apparatus comprisingV a dispensingT conduit, a valve casing arranged therein and divided into a pair of separate and distinct chambers, each comn'mnicating with said dispensing conduit, a separate supply pipe communicating with each chamber for directing material thereto. a valve associated with each chamber for regulating the viow of material there through, a valve stem for cach Valve slidably mounted in said valve casing', a link pivotally connected to both of said valve stems, and means connected to said link for operating the same whereby the two valves are simultaneously operated t0 control the tiow of material through the two chambers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

TOM EARL DAUGHTON. Vi'vitnesses R. R. ROBERTS, E. B. DofrsAN. 

